On January 15, 2024, during the

Israel–Hamas war An armed conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups has been taking place chiefly in and around the Gaza Strip since 7 October 2023. On that day, Palestinian militant groups launched 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, a surp ...

, a combined vehicle-ramming and stabbing attack occurred in the industrial zone of

Ra'anana Ra'anana ( he, רַעֲנָנָּה, lit. "Fresh") is a city in the southern Sharon Plain of the Central District of Israel. It was founded in 1922 as an American-Jewish settlement, 1 km south of the village of Tabsur, where an important ...

. One civilian was killed and eighteen others were injured. The two attackers, Palestinian residents of

Bani Na'im Bani Na'im ( ar, بني نعيم, Banī Naʾīm) is a Palestinian town in the southern West Bank located east of Hebron in the Hebron Governorate of the State of Palestine. It is situated at a higher elevation than most localities in the area, ...

in the

Hebron Hebron ( ar, الخليل or ; he, חֶבְרוֹן ) is a Palestinian. city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Nestled in the Judaean Mountains, it lies above sea level. The second-largest city in the West Bank (after East J ...

area, were arrested.

Attack

The attack occurred around 13:30 when two

Palestinians Palestinians ( ar, الفلسطينيون, ; he, פָלַסְטִינִים, ) or Palestinian people ( ar, الشعب الفلسطيني, label=none, ), also referred to as Palestinian Arabs ( ar, الفلسطينيين العرب, label=non ...

from

entered Ahuza Street in Ra'anana illegally. One of them took control of a driver's car, broke into the vehicle, and stabbed her. He then drove around the city, changing three cars and running over several civilians. Afterwards, he took control of another vehicle, drove towards Haroshet Street, and hit civilians. He then reached Weizmann Street, where he ran over several people and fled the scene. Immediately after receiving reports of the incident at the emergency centers, security forces began a pursuit of the terrorist. A rapid police chase and additional special units led to his capture, along with someone who apparently assisted him in the attack. Very quickly, a large number of police forces arrived, including the Police Commissioner

Kobi Shabtai Yaakov ‘Kobi’ Shabtai (Hebrew: יעקב (קובי) שבתאי) (born November 11, 1964) is an Israeli police officer, and the 19th Commissioner of Israel Police since January 17, 2021. Prior to that, he served as Commander of the Border Pol ...

and the District Commander Avraham Biton. The victims were directly evacuated to the hospital along with a woman in her 70s, where her death was pronounced after resuscitation efforts. In addition, three were seriously injured, including a 16-year-old boy. Nine people were moderately injured, and six were lightly injured, including children.

Assailants

The terrorist assailants were Mahmoud Zidat, 44, and Ahmad Zidat, 25, brothers from

in the

area, who were staying in Israel illegally, working in a city car wash. The two were had been apprehended several times before for staying in Israel illegally. In May preceding the attack, Mahmoud Zidat was caught for illegal stay, and was sentenced to a relatively short punishment of 20 days of actual imprisonment in addition to a conditional sentence, partly due to consideration of his personal and family situation, despite 6 previous convictions.

Reactions

Hamas

Hamas Hamas (, ; , ; an acronym of , "Islamic Resistance Movement") is a Palestinian Sunni-Islamic fundamentalist, militant, and nationalist organization. It has a social service wing, Dawah, and a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Bri ...

said in a statement: "We confirm that the 'Ra'anana' guerrilla operation carried out by our Palestinian heroes, Al-Murabitun, is a natural response to the massacre acts of the Nazi occupation... We are mobilizing our revolutionary youth across the West Bank and Jerusalem, and call on them to escalate the struggle and the revolution until the overthrow of the Nazi occupation, to liberate our land and our sanctity, and to establish our Palestinian state. With Jerusalem as its capital, blessed be God."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ra'anana attack, 2024 2024 road incidents in Asia 2020s vehicular rampage January 2024 crimes in Asia January 2024 events in Israel Terrorist incidents in Israel in 2024 Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades attacks Mass stabbings in Israel Terrorist incidents involving vehicular attacks Vehicular rampage in Israel Domestic reactions to the Israel–Hamas war 2024 attack Attacks in the Israel–Hamas war